Cutting attachment for vehicle

Abstract

A debris cutting system for attachment to a vehicle. The system includes a nose shaped projection that extends horizontally in the forward direction from the forward moving end of the vehicle. The projection includes a front blade mount subsystem, a pair of rear blade mount subsystems, and left and right blades that are mounted within the front blade mount subsystem and respective ones of the rear blade mount subsystems. Each blade has a respective blade front, blade rear and teeth. The front blade mount subsystem provides vertical movement at the front of the blades, the rear blade mount subsystems provide vertical and longitudinal movement at the rear of the blades such that cutting of debris is enhanced and potential damage to the blades is reduced as the vehicle moves forward.

1. A debris cutting system for attachment to a vehicle, the system comprising:
 a nose shaped projection that extends horizontally in the forward direction from the forward moving end of the vehicle, the projection comprising a front blade mount subsystem, a left rear blade mount subsystem, and a right rear blade mount subsystem; and 
 a left blade and a right blade that are mounted within the front blade mount subsystem and within the respective left and right rear blade mount subsystems, wherein
 each blade has a respective blade front, blade rear and teeth, and the front blade mount subsystem provides vertical movement at the front of the blades, the rear blade mount subsystems provide vertical and longitudinal movement at the rear of the blades such that cutting of debris is enhanced and damage to the blades is reduced as the vehicle moves forward, and 
 the front blade mount subsystem comprises: 
 an upper front slide; 
 a lower front slide; 
 a left front blade support; and 
 a right front blade support, wherein
 the left front blade support and the right front blade support are mounted between the upper and lower front slides, the left front blade support supports and holds the left blade front, the right front blade support supports and holds the right blade front, and the left and right front blade supports are cylindrically shaped to provide rotation about a lateral axis and the rotation is limited by the respective blades such that the vertical movement at the front of the blades is provided. 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the front blade mount subsystem further comprises:
 upper left and right front springs, lower left and right front springs, and left and right front slide bolts; and 
 the upper front slide comprises an upper left slide bolt hole and an upper right slide bolt hole; 
 the lower front slide comprises a lower left slide bolt hole and a lower right slide bolt hole, wherein
 the respective front slide bolts are received in respective recesses in an upper portion of the nose shaped projection, extend centrally through the respective upper front springs, through the respective upper slide bolt holes, through the respective lower slide bolt holes, centrally through the respective lower front springs, and are threadably fastened in a lower portion of the nose shaped projection such that the respective upper and lower front springs provide compressive force to retain the respective blade fronts. 
 
 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 2 , wherein each of the cylindrically shaped front blade supports comprises an upper portion and a matching lower portion; and
 the upper portion comprises a substantially semi-cylindrical upper shaft region, a stud portion that extends radially at one end of the upper portion, and a substantially semi-cylindrical upper flange end at the end of the shaft region opposite the stud portion, and the lower portion comprises a substantially semi-cylindrical lower shaft region, a radial hole that mates with the stud portion, and a substantially semi-cylindrical lower flange end at the end of the lower shaft region opposite the radial hole, and the stud protrudes through a respective front blade mounting hole and into the radial hole to removably clamp the blade front in the front blade support between the respective upper portion and lower portion, wherein
 the upper and lower front slides comprise respective substantially semi-cylindrical upper and lower shaft recesses that receive the respective upper and lower shaft regions, and respective substantially semi-cylindrical upper and lower flange recesses that receive the respective upper and lower flange ends, and the respective cylindrically shaped upper and lower front blade supports rotate in the upper and lower recesses, and the respective upper and lower flange ends laterally restrain the front blade supports in the front slides. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the left and right rear blade mount subsystems each comprise:
 a blade clamp apparatus that comprises an upper rear blade clamp that is threadably mechanically coupled to a lower rear blade clamp via bolts, wherein the respective blade rear is clamped between the upper rear blade clamp and the lower rear blade clamp; 
 an upper tensioner; 
 a lower tensioner that is slidably mechanically coupled to the upper tensioner via a shaft extension on the upper tensioner that snugly fits into a mating cylindrical through bore in the lower tensioner; 
 a rear slide; 
 vertical rear tension springs; and 
 longitudinal rear tension springs, wherein
 the upper tensioner and the lower tensioner are T shaped with substantially similarly sized cylindrical vertical legs and cross-bars, and the lower tensioner is an inverted T shape; 
 the upper tensioner and the lower tensioner are laterally and vertically restrained, and slide in the fore/aft direction in respective mating grooves in the projection via tension exerted by the vertical rear tension springs and longitudinal rear tension springs to provide vertical and longitudinal movement at the rear of the blades; 
 the vertical rear tension springs are sized to snugly slide over respective vertical leg members of the upper tensioner and the lower tensioner; 
 the longitudinal rear tension springs are mechanically fastened at a front end to the front end of the respective groove and at a rear end to the front end of a respective cross-bar portion of the T shape of the upper tensioner and the lower tensioner; 
 the rear slide comprises a substantially cylindrical body section that has a center through bore sized to receive the vertical leg of the lower tensioner and freely slide vertically thereon; 
 the rear slide further comprises a connector leg and an axle; 
 the cylindrical body section is implemented as a vertically oriented pipe; 
 the connector leg is generally horizontally and longitudinally oriented and mechanically couples the body section to the axle; and 
 the axle is horizontally and laterally oriented. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4 , wherein the respective upper rear blade clamp and the lower rear blade clamp are fastened together to form a substantially cylindrical laterally oriented receiving bore, the bore is sized to receive the axle to provide vertical and longitudinal movement at the rear of the blades, and a gap in the upper rear blade clamp and the lower rear blade clamp provides a clearance path for the connector leg; and
 the upper rear blade clamp includes a plurality of pegs that extend downward from the underside of the upper rear blade clamp, the lower rear blade clamp includes a matching plurality of vertical holes that are sized and positioned to mate with the respective pegs, when the upper rear blade clamp and the lower rear blade clamp are fastened together, the pegs extend through respective rear mounting holes in the rear blade to removably fasten the blade rear within the system. 
 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a substantially triangular shaped or “arrowhead” shaped tip at the apex of the projection that intersects, spreads and positions debris to be displaced or cut via the system as the vehicle moves forward.